SUMMARY MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING

The purpose of these minutes is to capture a high-level summary of Council’s discussion and action. This is not a verbatim transcript. Meeting video and audio is available on the City’s website.

Monday, May 1, 2023 Council Chambers - Shoreline City Hall

7:00 p.m. 17500 Midvale Avenue North

PRESENT: Mayor Keith Scully, Deputy Mayor Betsy Robertson, and Councilmembers John Ramsdell, Laura Mork, Doris McConnell (remote), Eben Pobee and Chris Roberts

ABSENT: None

1. CALL TO ORDER

At 7:00 p.m., the meeting was called to order by Mayor Scully who presided.

2. FLAG SALUTE/ROLL CALL

Upon roll call by the City Clerk, all Councilmembers were present, except for Councilmember McConnell who joined the meeting online at 7:03 p.m.

(a) Proclamation of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month

(b) Proclamation of National Bike Month

Mayor Scully announced the proclamations issued for the month of May and invited Nick Oh, a freshman at Shorewood High School and member of YouthKAN, up to the podium to accept the Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month Proclamation.

Mr. Oh stated he is representing YouthKAN which seeks to empower youth and improve the well-being of Asian Americans by spreading awareness about the significance of mental health and pressures in their community, as well as sharing personal stories around societal issues.

3.	APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

The agenda was approved by unanimous consent.

4.	REPORT OF THE CITY MANAGER

Bristol Ellington, City Manager, reported on various City meetings, projects, and events.

5.	COUNCIL REPORTS

There were no Council reports.

6.	PUBLIC COMMENT

The Council heard comments from the public from approximately 7:08 p.m. to 7:20 p.m. There were no written comments submitted prior to the deadline to be included in the May 1, 2023 Council meeting packet

Michael Troyer, volunteer for North Urban Human Services Alliance, thanked Mayor Scully and the council for proclaiming May 7-13 as Affordable Housing Week and for recognition of urgent need for homes in our community.

Alan Charnley, Shoreline, thanked Council for lowering speed limits from 35 to 30 MPH in certain areas and for installing bike lanes across the City.

Susanne Tsoming, Shoreline, expressed concern over the scope of work included in the contract with Otak for Professional Planning and Environmental Review Services.

Nancy Morris, Shoreline, expressed concern over the scope of work included in the contract with Otak for Professional Planning and Environmental Review Services and her desire to have an environment element included as standalone element.

Kathleen Russell, Shoreline, requested that tree removal placards be placed on park trees 14-day in advance before removal and that this be a codified requirement.

7.	CONSENT CALENDAR

Deputy Mayor Robertson moved approval of the Consent Calendar. The motion was seconded. Councilmember Mork pulled Item D - approval of a Contract with Otak from the Consent Calendar and placed it as Action Item 8.a. The Consent Calendar as amended passed unanimously, 7-0.

(a) Approval of Regular Meeting Minutes of April 3, 2023

(b) Approval of Regular Meeting Minutes of April 10, 2023

(b) Adoption of Resolution No. 508 - Approving City Manager Property Acquisition Authority for the 148th Non-Motorized Bridge Project

(c) Adoption of Ordinance No. 983 - Authorizing the Use of Eminent Domain for Acquisition of Certain Real Property for the 148th Non-Motorized Bridge Project

(d) Removed from Consent Calendar

8.	ACTION ITEMS

(a) Authorize the City Manager to Execute a Contract with Otak for Professional Planning and Environmental Review Services for the 2024 Comprehensive Plan Update

Andrew Bauer, Planning Manager, explained that Action Item 8a would authorize the City Manager to sign a contract with Otak to work on the Comprehensive Plan update. Mr. Bauer said he believed the issues with the contract that were brought up in public comment are related to the verbiage on climate policies as described in the scope of work. He clarified that the scope of work lays out the technical nuance of where to place climate related policies within the Comprehensive Plan. A Councilmember pointed out that another concern was the cost of the contract having not been integrated into the Budget. Mr. Bauer confirmed that the cost was integrated in the Budget.

Councilmember Mork moved approval of Action Item 8a. The motion was seconded and unanimously carried, 7-0.

9.	STUDY ITEMS

(a) Discussion of the Enhanced Operationalized Use of Drones by the Shoreline Police Department

Chief Kelly Park, Shoreline Police, stated that the discussion is for the purchase and patrol use of one Small Unmanned Aircraft System (aka drone) by the Shoreline Police Department (SPD). SPD is looking to purchase the DJI Mavic 3T drone and designate an officer for its use in Shoreline at a cost of $9,618.95. Chief Park said the cost of the drone and officer training is within the Police budget scope for 2023/2024. All KCSO drone pilots are required to obtain their FAA Part 107 license as well as complete basic flight training. Eric Kim, Metro Deputy explained that drone maintenance is scheduled regularly and an indicator on the machine will show when care is needed. In the case of damage to a drone, Deputy Kim said the drones are covered under a DJI repair & replacement service plan.

Chief Park stated drones are currently used in Shoreline when borrowed from neighboring partners for high-risk events. Deputy Kim spoke about some specific incidents where drones were used to improve investigations in major incidents and everyday 911 calls. Chief Park affirmed that drone pilots’ primary duty will remain in patrol-related duties with drones being used as an enhancement tool.

Drones are already in use throughout King County, but Chief Park stated that concerns have been raised regarding safety and privacy. She assured Council that the King County Sheriff's Office (KCSO) has a robust policy to protect privacy and ensure policy compliance in the operation of drones. Specifically, General Orders Manual 9.08.000 dictates approved deployment scenarios; prohibits random surveillance, unless conducted under an approved scenario; and states that recorded data will not be collected, disseminated, or retained solely for the purpose of monitoring activities. Additionally, drones shall not be equipped with weapons, any device that captures or intercepts personal electronic data, or facial recognition technology.

Responding to a question about audio recording, Deputy Kim stated the drones do not capture audio at this time, but the crisis team is looking to use drones to communicate with individuals in the future. He explained that Airdata is captured for every flight to record telemetry, camera pointing, and joystick movement used by pilots. Councilmember Ramsdell expressed concern with drone use to enhanced park patrol as drone surveillance can be unsettling. Chief Park clarified that drone use in park patrol would occur in cases of special emphasis issues that Police are called to address such as encampments or fires. Mayor Scully commented that he prefers boots on the ground in parks as a less intrusive approach to having officers in parks.

Councilmember Ramsdell brought attention to research from the Brookensdale Institute that speaks to accountability issues with police use of drones and recommended Airdata be publicly available and drone data use frequently reported. Chief Park responded saying KCSO is consistently reevaluating drone operations and she is open to educational opportunities to improve the program. She stated KCSO works to be as transparent as possible, and she would go to the Program Coordinator to discuss if there are plans for online access to drone data.

A Councilmember asked about KCSO’s data storage infrastructure and retention rules. Deputy Kim answered that data is stored on SD cards and uploaded to third-party cloud-based programs. Chief Park added that KCSO follows the Public Records Act mandates and ensures compliance with retention and transparency.

It was asked if recorded footage would be used for unrelated incidents and Chief Park assured Council that footage is only used for what is being investigating at the time. The Councilmember asked how quicky a pilot could become available if the officer designated for Shoreline becomes unavailable. Deputy Kim said there are about 20 pilots in the agency, and it takes about 30-60 days to become a pilot due to scheduling. Chief Park commented that KCSO is looking to expand the program and evaluating if more pilots are needed.

A Councilmember asked if Chief Park and Deputy Kim could speak to concerns from business owners about property crimes. Chief Park noted that with a drone based in Shoreline, SDP could deploy a pilot for everyday calls instead of calling one in only for major events. She said the drone also allows for an aerial vantage point which makes searches easier. The drone will go out on a patrol deployment throughout the entire City to support equitable use of the tool.

Deputy Mayor Robertson expressed support for the operation of drones. She brought up a previous conversation with SPD regarding issues with short staffing and asked about a drone’s ability to support the department. Chief Park stated a drone is a force multiplier and would reduce the number of personnel needed and provide an enhanced vantage point. Deputy Kim added that the 30 to 60-day training is not daily and would not significantly pull officers away from patrol.

Mayor Scully asked when Guardian 1 would be deployed rather than a drone. Chief Park explained that in a high-risk situation, SPD would find out if pilots are available and Guardian 1 would have the first right of refusal. SPD would not be able to deploy a drone if Guardian 1 responds to an incident.

10.	ADJOURNMENT

At 8:08 p.m., Mayor Scully declared the meeting adjourned.

/s/ Jessica Simulcik Smith, City Clerk